The present invention relates to a system for providing television schedule information, and more particularly to a television schedule information guide with capability for notifying and alerting a viewer when new or previously unavailable channels and services become available.
The number of television channels available to a user has grown dramatically within the last decade, primarily due to the availability of cable and direct broadcast satellite systems. As the number of programs of potential interest to the viewer has increased, a variety of electronic program guides have been developed to help the viewer select programs of particular interest. For example, commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,706,121 and 5,353,121 each describes schedule information processing systems which provide the viewer with a convenient way to select programs based on viewer supplied selection criteria.
With the advent of digital television, the number of channels available is increasing dramatically. For example, the typical analog cable service provides about 60 channels. In contrast, digital television service providers will be able to deliver on the order of 150 or more channels. Many of the new channels will likely not be recognized by a viewer, nor will it be easy for a viewer to identify a channel as being new, unless there is a simple and convenient way to inform and alert the viewer to new channels and services. Hence, it is desirable to provide a viewer with the ability to simply and conveniently determine newly available channels and services. It is also desirable to provide a viewer with a description of the new channels or services including the type of subject matter typically presented thereon.